Last year, 15 local authorities won government cash to reduce chewing gum litter, and the results have now been published. Thirteen, led by Solihull, saw reductions of up to 72%, one failed to collect any accurate results, and one campaigned against the gum but completely failed to have any effect. Indeed, the deeply contrarian royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea saw 38% more sticky stuff on its streets after just five weeks of advertising how bad it was. It bodes badly for proto Tory green minister, Ecologist editor Zac Goldsmith. Last week, he made the shortlist of six candidates to be the next Conservative MP for the constituency.

Foot faults

Want to, literally, reduce your carbon footprint? Eco Soundings hears that the last shoemaking company in Britain now boasts a range of homegrown organic hemp shoes. They are billed as fully vegan and are "made using no animal products during the manufacturing process". Any drawbacks? Well, it seems you can't eat or smoke them. lovethoseshoes.com

Invisible hulk

The Japanese whale hunt is over for another year after the mother ship caught fire and is now heading back to Japan with only half its intended catch. Eco Soundings' old friend, Cap'n Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which battled with the Japanese at sea for two weeks but then ran out of petrol, can barely contain himself. "Finally, the burned out hulk of the whale killing floating factory called the Nisshin Maru is limping out of the Antarctic treaty zone, the stench of rotten whale meat lingering in its wake ..."

Speedy results

Haulage firms are not known for their green sensibilities, but that may change thanks to Woodall's, a Brummie bunch that operates some 40 lorries. It recently installed some Swedish computer kit to record the time drivers spend idling, revving up, braking and speeding. It then spent a few hours showing them how to use less fuel. Result? In just eight months, says Ian Carson, one of their managers, the company has saved 36,000 litres of fuel - worth about £21,000. And it proudly boasts that it saved 93.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

School tied

"Bio" Barry Gardiner, minister for forests and biodiversity, is racking up the air miles. Last year, he was in China, Malaysia and Indonesia to discuss urban planning and orang-utans, then it was South Africa for climate change, and this week he is in Tokyo and then Washington to save the world's forests. Eco Soundings cannot help but remember how "Jungle Jim" Knight, Gardiner's predecessor, loved roaming the world's biodiversity hotspots before being cruelly plucked from the stable of ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to become schools minister. Last week, Knight was stuck in London trying to be enthusiastic about his new role. "The broader, dynamic draft key stage 3 curriculum will enthuse young people", he announced, not altogether convincingly.

The devil's in the detail

One of Gardiner's critics, who styles himself Barry Beelzebub, writes in his blog (at barrybeelzebub.co.uk) that he is worried about the minister's driving habits. He says: "Mr Gardiner is MP for Brent North. He has the use of a chauffeur driven car, which picks him up on Monday morning and takes him to and from official business. He is therefore only eligible to claim mileage expenses for parliamentary business conducted in his family car at the weekend. Yet for the year 2005-06, he managed to claim 10,852 miles in mileage - enough to drive to Delhi and back. The poor bloke must spend 18 hours a day on the road every Saturday and Sunday." Pay no attention, Gardiner. He's only jealous.